M23 rebels in Congo say they are going to Uganda for talks; ask to sit down with opposition

GOMA, Congo – A spokesman for Congo's M23 rebels, who are demanding negotiations with the government after retreating from the eastern provincial capital of Goma, says the group will soon go to Uganda for talks.

Bertrand Bisimwa, the spokesperson for M23's political branch, said Wednesday that the group has asked for negotiations with Congo President Joseph Kabila's government, but he said it seems the government is not ready to comply. He said they also asked for negotiations with the opposition and civil society.

Uganda has been mediating talks on the crisis in eastern Congo.

M23 is made up of hundreds of officers who deserted the Congolese army in April. The rebels accuse Kabila's government of failing to honor the terms of a 2009 peace deal that brought them into the national army.